Top 10 Best English Dubbed Anime

Ah the eternal question, dubs or subs? Welcome to http://www.WatchMojo.com, and today we are counting down our picks for Top 10 Best English Dubs Anime.

For this list we considered anime series that were produced in Japan and have been translated and dubbed efficiently in the English language.

Characters are intricate to an engaging story, and our next entry is no exception. A pure example of an ensemble cast featuring voice talents of Johnny Yong Bosch, Crispin Freeman and Steve Blum just to name a few. Beginning to see a trend? From reactions and deliveries to spot on dialogue performances, not a single cast member brings down the general performance. While it can be argued that a few scenes are underplayed and lost during the translation, “Code Geass” is a must for English dub fans.

The end is nigh and paradise awaits but only a few surviving wolves know about it. This series follows a group of wolves with the power to appear human, as they try to survive long enough to find the promised land. Voiced by legendary anime voice actor Johnny Yong Bosch, North American audiences were enthralled by the lead character Kiba, as well as the rest of the voice cast. There are a few changes to the dialogue, the English translation of “Wolf’s Rain” comes out better than the original.

Space Dandy may be a fairly new series, but if you haven’t seen it yet, you have to check it out. This absurd sci-fi comedy is all about, well, boo-bees , BUT, with the great voice work of FUNimation fan favourites like Ian Sinclair and Alison Viktorin the dialogue is bang on, and perfectly matches the series’ tone. With the constant 4th wall breaking and hilarious narrator voiced by Robert Bruce Elliott, this translation was far from lazy and watching it subtitled would be missing out.

Welcome to the Phantomhive Manor, just don’t mind staff. Chronicling the relationship between heir to the Funtom company Ciel Phantomhive and demon in disguise Sebastian Michaelis, “Black Butler” stays faithful to the manga for only half a season. With an entire new story to work with, actors Brina Palencia adds a layer of innocence to Ciel while J. Michael Tatum creates an entire new character that feels entirely different from the original Japanese translation. This series is one for fans of bothEnglish dubs and subtitles.

Another series brought to the west courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment, the Baka and Test franchise has, shall we say, a lot of arguing and bickering. Usually something this yelly would be hard for the English voice actors to keep up with, but veteran performers like Josh Grelle and Leah Clark keeps the conflicts as believable as they are funny.

Make way for quite possibly Crispin Freeman’s best performance to date. Alucard was already a fan favorite from the original series, so how can he become even better? A tale following closer to the original manga helps, but Crispin adds a demented aspect to an already nonchalant certified bad ass. Add in the rest of the excellently performed cast including the talents of K. T Gray, and Victoria Hardwood, then you form the gore-filled world the Japanese know and love for English audiences. Considering most of the character’s all have British accent’s anyway, English voice actors are the best way to experience this series.

Never has the Prohibition era sounded so vivid. In this cousin series to “Durarara”, we follow a large cast of characters caught in a collection of supernatural-esque events over a number of years. Considered as a launch pad for many newcomers to the voice acting world, the large cast is full of many hot newcomers. With such a variety of characters brings a large range of voices, but are supported by excellent performances from veterans J Michael Tatum and Caitlin Glass as beloved couple Isaac and Miriam.

Based on the popular manga of the same name, School Rumble is as loyal to it’s source material as an anime can be. It’s only fitting that the English dubbing continue the trend, and it does not disappoint. The dialogue re-writes keep the spirit of the manga intact, and if you are able to look beyond the superficial and see what makes this series so great, you can appreciate the English dubs.

In order to be a great English dub, you can’t be afraid to go beyond jut literal and Black Lagoon’s dub is on point. Following the Lagoon Company, a group of bad-ass mercenaries and their dangerous assignments, what made “Black Lagoon” so popular is the almost non-stop vulgarity present in the manga. So of course the anime adaptation wouldn’t be the same if they toned the language down. Featuring a standout performance by Maryke Hendrikse ) as gun-wielding sociopath Revy, prepare yourselves for glorious expletives after expletives.

Before dub over our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” (2009-10)

“Yu Yu Hakusho” (1992-96)
“Excel Saga” (1999-2000)
“Welcome to the NHK” (2006)

Let’s jam. Taking our top spot is this classic space bounty hunting series, following seasoned bounty hunter Spike Spiegel and his crew on their spaceship the “Bebop”. Widely considered by fans and critics alike as an English dub masterpiece, director Melissa Williamson brings another level of depth to the series with a perfect voice cast and just the right amount of tweaking to the original Japanese script. When you have the likes of David Lucas, more widely known as Steve Blum, voicing legendary Spike Spiegel, there is no way you can go wrong. Enjoy the crown Bebop.
Do you agree with our list? What is your favourite English dubbed anime? For more dubbed top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.